Archive for August, 2015

Nurse leaders, remember when you landed that great job you have now and it was fantastic? And then at some point, it stopped being fantastic and started turning on you? You may be in a really bad place and now you think your job is starting to kill you! Check out the warning signs:

Complaining more
* Frustrated with the bureaucracy
* Your values don’t match the business anymore

Hearing yourself say these words
* I wish things could be different
* I wish I could do that but work gets in the way [more]

This white paper is compiled from the third edition of the groundbreaking book,
The Preceptor Program Builder,written by Diana Swihart, PhD, DMin, MSN, APN CS, RN-BC, and Solimar Figueroa, MHA, MSN, BSN, RN. It discusses and defines the competencies developed in preceptorships, explores the goals and essential elements of competency assessment and verification, and takes a close look at the categories of competencies and methods for assessing and verifying them within the context of the preceptor relationship.

Do you have an EBP story to share?

For nurses just getting started with evidence-based practice, the steps between deciding on an area to research and implementing a plan for improvement can be overwhelming. Identifying sources of qualified research, interpreting the results, translating procedures from theory to practice… It’s complicated, to say the least.

I’m looking for a few brave souls who would be willing to share what I’m calling “EBP notes from the field.” If you’ve gone through the process from start to finish, would you be willing to share your story? I see these as 1-2 pages looking into the decision making process, the research you chose, the steps you took to get buy-in from management. What did you learn in the process? How did you implement your research? Have you been able to measure the results?

I’d like to include a few of these stories in an upcoming book project: a simple EBP guide for working professionals. It will be very practical, straightforward, and [more]

Clutter got you down? This five-step process will reduce your stress and open up space to allow new energy, ideas, and creativity to flow in. All you have to do is just do it! Enjoy the process and implement it with your nursing staff too.

1. Schedule a quarterly de-cluttering day on your calendar.

2. At the beginning of your de-cluttering day, do the following:
I. Set the intention of finishing the day with a neat clean office filled with open space
II. Commit to staying focused on the task at hand and don’t allow distractions
III. Put on some great music that gets you energized
IV. Put a large waste receptacle in your office to receive all the discarded stuff
V. Put a large box or bag in your office to receive items you will give away or donate [more]

Hierarchy of Voice

Try the following exercise that I often use to encourage nurses’ self-esteem. I call it a “hierarchy of voice” because each step results in greater empowerment. Addressing specific behaviors that are a challenge to a nurse stimulates meaningful conversations about that individual’s stumbling blocks to empowerment and self-esteem.

In performance evaluations, share the following list and ask team members to pick 10 meaningful actions that they would like to [more]

Listening, validating and asking for a commitment

When working with a group, I assume that people are rational and logical.

So, if I want them to do something, I just need to explain it and they’ll do it. When I don’t get the results I am seeking, I tend to think “Oh, I must not be explaining it well. Let me try it again.”

It’s taken me a long time to realize that what I was hearing as “not understanding me” was often someone’s polite way of telling me no. So, now when I find myself explaining the same thing to someone for the third time, I stop and ask the person what he or she is hearing me request. If I can validate that the person is hearing me correctly, I ask for the commitment: yes or no.

Validating… and asking for a yes or no

We can hold ourselves accountable, but holding other people accountable can be much more difficult. Consider this nurse-physician scenario and ask yourself [more]

Nurse managers and nurse leaders are in the habit of telling people what to do and expecting them to follow through. How’s that working for you with your staff?

Maybe there is another way. Try this technique that is borrowed from executive coaching practices used in business for personal improvement. It is a powerful communication tool that can transform your approach to health behavior counseling and re-energize your work.

Instead of telling nurses what to do, coaches ask powerful questions designed to challenge thinking and action and to elicit positive behavior change. Coaching will help you guide your nurses toward rapid goal attainment, higher levels of productivity, and to reach their full potential. It also reduces your stress as a nurse manager because the accountability is on the employee, not you. [more]

Develop Your Active Shooter Prevention and Response Plan

Upcoming webcast: September 23, 2015, 1:00-2:30 p.m. ET

Active shooters and armed violence represent a rapidly growing issue in America’s hospitals and healthcare facilities. These incidents occur on a near-weekly basis, which means it is time to face the fact that they can also happen in your facility.

Don’t wait until it is too late to develop an emergency response plan! Join HCPro for a live webcast presented by healthcare safety experts Lisa Pryse Terry, CHPA, CPP, and Christian M. Lanphere, PhD, FP-C, NRP, CEM. They will teach participants how to lessen the risk of a violent confrontation and how to prepare facility staff in the event an armed intruder comes through their doors. [more]

Nurse managers set the tone for their units but it can be hard to stay positive in today’s negative world. The dangers of living in a state of negativity and stress are many. It can lead to chronic disease, increased production of stress hormones, higher blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and alterations in the immune system.

To build a culture of positivity on your unit, try these simple strategies with your nurses that with practice can flip the switch to turn your nursing unit from negativity to positivity.